The workes of that famous chirurgion Ambrose Parey translated out of Latin and compared with the French. by Tho: Johnson. Whereunto are added three tractates our of Adrianus Spigelius of the veines, arteries, & nerves, with large figures. Also a table of the bookes and chapters.

CHAP. XVIII. Of the Cozenages and crafty Tricks of Beggars.

HAving treated of Monsters, it follows that we speak of those things which either of them∣selvs, by reason of their nature full of admiration, have some kind of monstrousness in them, or else from some other wayes, as by the craft and cozenage of men. And be∣cause to the last mentioned crafts of the Devill, the subtle devices of begging companions are somewhat alike, therefore I will handle them in the next place, that the Surgeon being admo∣nished of them, may be more cautious and cunning in discerning them when he meets with them.

* 1.1Anno Dom. 1525. when I was at Anjou, there stood a crafty beggar begging at the Church door, who tying and hiding his own arm behind his back, shewed in stead thereof, one cut from the body of one that was hanged, and this he propped up and bound to his brest, and so laid it open to view, as if it had been all enflamed, so to move such as passed by unto greater commiseration of him. The cozenage lay hid, every one giving him mony, untill at length his counterfeit arm not being surely fastened, fell upon the ground, many seeing and observing it: he being apprehen∣ded and laid in prison, by the appointment of the Magistrate, was whipped through the Town, with his false arm hanging before him, and so banished.

* 1.2I had a brother called John Parey, a Surgeon, who dwelt in Vitre in Britain; he once observed a young woman begging, who shewed her breast, as if it had a cancrous ulcer thereon, looking fearfully by reason of much sordid filth, wherewith it seemed to defile the cloth that lay under it. But when as he had more diligently beheld the womans face, and the fresh color thereof, as also of the places about the ulcer, and the good habit of the whole body agreeable to that color (for she was somewhat fat, and of a very good habit of body) he was easily hereby induced to suspect some roguery and deceit. He acquainted the Magistrate with this his suspicion, and got leave that he might carry her home to his house, so to search her more narrowly. Where opening her breast, he found under her arm-pit, a sponge moistned with a commixture of beasts blood and milk, and carried through an elder-pipe to the hidden holes of her counterfeit cancer. Therefore he foments her breast with warm water, and with the moisture thereof looseth the skins of black, green, and yellow frogs, laid upon it, and stuck together with glew, made of bole armenick, the white of an egg, and flower; and these being thus fetched off, he found her breast perfectly sound.

The beggar being cast for this into prison, confessed that she was taught this trick by a beggar that lay with her, who himself also, by putting about his leg an Oxes Milt, and perforating it in sundry places, that so the forementioned liquor might drop out, counterfeited an ulcer of a monstrous bigness and malignity, covering the edges of the Milt on every side with a filthy cloth. This beggar was diligently enquired after, but could not be found; and so she was whipped and banished.

* 1.3Within less then a year after, there came into the same city a notable crafty companion, who presently taking up the Church doors, laid open his wares; to wit, a Kercher with some small pieces of mony lying thereon, a wooden Barrel, and* 1.4 Cliquets, where-with he would ever now and then make a great noise: his face was spread over with great thick pustles, being of a black∣ish red color, and made with glue like those that have the Leprosie: this his ghastly look made him to be pitied by all men, which was the cause that every one gave him mony. Then my bro∣ther came somewhat nearer him, and asked him how long he had been troubled with this so cruel disease; he answered with an obscure and hoarse voice, that he was born a Leper from his Mothers womb, and that his parents both died of this wicked disease, so that their members sell away piece-meal. Now he had a woollen swathe about his chaps, wherewith (having his left hand un∣der his cloak) he so straitned his chaps, that much black blood rose into his face, and made him so hoarse that he could scarce speak; yet he could not contain himself, but that in speaking he ever now and then slackned the swathe with his hand, the freelier to draw his breath; which when my bro∣ther had observed, suspecting some cozenage, he obtained leave of the Magistrate to search and ex∣amine the man whether he were truly leprous, or no. First therefore he took away his swathe or rowler that was about his neck, then washed his face with warm water, so that the counterfeit glewed pustles were dissolved, and his face (free from all tainture) shewed it self of a good and natural colour and shape. Then he laid bare his whole body, and diligently viewed each part, and found no sign of a Leprosie, one or other. Which when the Magistrate once heard, he made him to be put in prison, and to be thrice whipped through the streets of the city, with his barrel hanging before him, and his cliquets behind him, adding thereto the punishment of perpetual ba∣nishment. It hapned that as he was whipped the third market-day, the people cried out to the hang-man in jest, that he should not fear to lash him soundly, for being leprous he could not feel it: the executioner incited by this cry of the people, did so be labor him, that the wretch died of his whipping within a short while after, having a just reward for his wickedness. For these impostors besides that they live like drones, feigning this or that disease and so being idle enjoy the fruits of others labors▪ they also divers times conspiring together, take away the lives and goods of ho∣nest and substantial citizens▪ and other people: for there are some of them, that in an evening, as men that have no habitation, desire lodging for a night, and it being granted them, they, when as the master of the house and his family are asleep, open the doors to their comrades, men as wi••ked as themselves, and kill and carry away all they can.

Certainly we may justly affirm, that this crafty begging is the mother and school of all dish∣onesty:* 1.5 for how many acts of bawdry and poisoning everywhere corrupt the wells and publick fountains? How many places have been burnt under the shew of begging? Where can you get more fit spies? where more fit undertakers and workets of all manner of villany, then out of the crew of these beggers?

Some of them there are, who besmear their faces with foot laid in water,* 1.6 so to seem to have the Jaundise. But you may at the first sight finde out the deceit, by the native whiteness of the ut∣ter coat of the eie, called Adnata, which in such as truly have the Jaundise, useth to be died and overcast with a yellowish colour; also you may be more certain thereof, if you wet a cloth in water or spittle, and so rub the face; for the adventitious yellowness will quickly vanish, and the true native color shew it self.

Some there be, who not content to have mangled, and filthily exulcerated their limbs with cau∣stick herbs, and other cauteries; or to have made their bodies more swoln, or else lean, with me∣dicated drinks; or to have deformed themselves some other way, but from good and honest Ci∣tizens, who have charitably relieved them, they have stoln children, have broken or dislocated their arms and legs, have cut out their tongues, have depressed the chest, or whole breast; that with these, as their own children, begging up and down the country, they may get the more re∣lief, pitifully complaining that they came by this mischance by thunder, or lightning, or some o∣ther strange accident.

Lastly, they part the Kingdome amongst themselves as into Provinces, and communicate by letters one to another, what news or new quaint devices there are to conceal of advance their ro∣guery: to which purpose they have invented a new language only known to themselves, so to discourse together, and not to be understood by others. [We here vulgarly term it Canting]

Dr. Flecelle, a Physitian of Paris,* 1.7 entreated me to bear him company to his country-house at Champigny, four miles from Paris. Where assoon as we arrived, and were walking in the Court, there came presently to us a good lusty well flesht manly woman, begging alms for St. Fiacre sake, and taking up her coat and her smock, she shewed a great gut hanging down some half a foot which seemed as if it had hanged out of her fundament, whereout there dropped filth like unto pus, which had all stained her legs and smock, most beastly and filthy to look upon. Flecelle asked how long she had been troubled with this disease: she answered that it was four years since she first had it. Hence he easily gathered that she played the counterfeit: for it was not likely that such abundance of purulent matter came forth of the body of so well flesht and colored a woman; for she would rather have been very lean and in a consumption. Wherefore provoked with just anger, by reason of the wickedness of the deceit, he run upon her and threw her down upon the ground, and trod her under his feet, and hit her divers blows upon the belly, so that he made the gut, which hung at her, to come away, and by threatning her with more grievous punishment, made her confess the cozenage, and that it was not her gut, but of an ox, which being filled with blood and milk, and tied at both ends, she put the one of them into her fundament, and let the filth flow forth at very little holes.

Not very long ago, a woman equally as shameless,* 1.8 offered her self to the overseers of the poor of Paris, entreating that she might be entred for one of their Pensioners, for that her womb was fallen down by a dangerous and difficult birth, wherefore she was unable to work for her living. Then they commanded that she should be tried and examined, according to the custom, by the Surgeons which are therefore appointed. Who seeing how the whole business was carried, made report she was a counterfeit; for she had thrust an oxes bladder, half blown and besmeared with beastly blood by the neck, whereto she had fastened a little sponge, into the neck of her womb, for the sponge being filled and swollen up by the accustomed moisture of the womb, so held up the oxes bladder that hanged thereat, that she might safely go without any fear of the falling of it out, neither could it be pulled forth but with good force. For this her device she was put into pri∣son, and being first whipped, was after banished. This cozenage is not much unlike theirs, who by fitly applying a sheeps paunch to their groin, counterfeit themselves to be bursten.

Anno Dom. 1561. there came to Paris a lusty, stout, and very fat Norman woman, being about some thirty years old, who begging from door to door, did cast to meet with rich women,* 1.9 and very familiarly and pitifully would relate unto them her misfortune; saying, she had a snake in her belly, which crept in at her mouth as she slept in an hemp-land: she would let one feel her stir, by putting their hand unto her belly, adding also that she was troubled day and night with its un∣cessant gnawing of her guts. The novelty of this sad chance, moved all to pity and admiration; wherefore as much as they could, they assisted her with means and counsel. Amongst the rest, there was a woman of great devotion and charity, who sending for Dr. Hollerius Chevall, and mee, asked us if this snake could by any means be gotten forth. Hollerius gave her a strong purgation, hoping that by stirring up the expulsive faculty, the serpent might be cast forth together with the noxious humors. But this hope had no such success. Wherefore when as we met again, we thought it fit to put a Speculum matricis into the neck of her womb, so to see if we could discern either her head or tail: but I making large dilatation of her womb, could see no such thing; only we observed a certain voluntary motion, whereof she her self was the author, by contracting and dilating the muscles of the lower belly. Which when as we had observed, perceiving the deceit and imposture, we thought good so to terrifie her, and make her confess the deceit, to tell her that she must take another, but that a more strong purgation; that what we could not

do by the former, as more gentle, we might attain to by the later, as far stronger. She dissembling all fear, and conscious of her craft and dissimulation, after we were gone in the evening, pack∣ing up her stuff, and a great deal more then her own, she secretly stole away, not bidding her hostess farewell: and thus ar length the fraud was apparent, to the loss of the honest Gentlewo∣man. I saw this baggage, six daies after, sitting lustily upon a Pack-horse, at the gate Mont∣martrae, and laughing heartily with such as brought Sea-fish to Town: and she was returning (as it war most likely) into her country, seeing her cozenage was discovered here.

* 1.10Such as feign themselves dumb, draw back and double their tongues in their mouths. Such as falling down counterfeit the falling sickness, binde straitly both their wrests with plates of iron, tumble and rowl themselves in the mire, sprinkle and defile their heads and faces with beasts blood, and shake their limbs and whole body. Lastly, by putting sope into their mouths, they foam at the mouth like those that have the falling sickness. Othersome with flour make a kinde of glue, wherewith they besmeare their whole bodies, as if they had that Leprosie or Scab that is vulgarly termed Malum sancti manis. Neither must we think this art of counterfeiting and cheating begging to be new, and of late invention; for long ago it flourished in Asia, even in the time of Hippocrates, as may appear by his book De Aere, Locis, & Aquis. But by how much this disease hath taken more deep root, and grown more inveterate by process of time, by so much it must more diligently and carefully be looked to and prevented, by cruelly punishing such counterfeits: for that by this feighned begging, as the nourisher of sloth, and shop of all dishonesty, that which is taken from the good is bestowed upon the ill, and one wicked and coun∣terfeit begger hurts all other wretched people.

Notes

• * 1.1

  An history of a counterfeit arm.
• * 1.2

  Another of a cancrous brest.
• * 1.3

  Of one feign∣ing himself le∣prous.
• * 1.4

  Ciquets are things made somewhat re∣sembling a small woo••catd, but have two or three little pieces of bo••rds so fast∣ned together wi••h leather, that they will make a great noise with them and these are used by the French beg∣gars.
• * 1.5

  A multitude of beggars hurt∣ful to the city.
• * 1.6

  How to disco∣ver such as counterfeit the Jaundise.
• * 1.7

  Of one coun∣terfeiting the falling of the fundament.
• * 1.8

  Of one feign∣ing the falling down of the womb.
• * 1.9

  Of a begger that ••eigned her self to have a s••••ke in her belly.
• * 1.10

  The craft of such as feign themselves to have the fal∣ling sickness. Of such as feign them∣selves leprous.